My name is Vardan Sargsyan, and I am a UX Design and research Master’s Student at the University of Michigan’s School of Information.​​​​​​​ I transitioned from graphic design and multimedia production because I wasn’t satisfied with the aesthetic-driven approach to making design decisions.When I found the field of UX, I became obsessed with the various qualitative and quantitative research methods for informing design decisions. I realized that I had already been practicing the early stages of UX design thinking in my branding projects by always considering the users and demographics before etching a single line on paper. Now, I enjoy undertaking complex information problems to create innovative digital products across any media.A fun fact about me is that I am a citizen of three countries: Armenia, Canada, and the United States. I was raised around very diverse groups of people, and as a result learned about the many ways people's perceptions, assumptions, and values about the world differ. This formed the backbone of my UX instincts. However, I am always acutely aware of just how important it is to conduct the appropriate research on users and eliminate assumptions about groups of people.